


I lost you once and I can't bear to do it again

by Chronicallyill3



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25788610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chronicallyill3/pseuds/Chronicallyill3
Summary: Lauren Cooper is starting off a new phase of her life in National City. Expectations of what college life should be like go out the window when she meets her roommates family the Arias-Danvers in an unconventional way. And by extension she meets the Luthor-Danvers. She spends quite alot of time wondering what connection the mysterious Lena Luthor seems to feel towards her; Lauren can't make out exactly what it is yet. However, she knows it's important.OrThe one in which the Luthors are even more horrible than expected and force Lena to give up her baby for adoption at 16 years old. And what happens when their lives finally intertwine again.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers
Comments: 112
Kudos: 413





	1. Chapter 1

Lauren usually was independent by nature. Her need to achieve things by herself always outweighed any nerves or doubts she had surrounding certain situations. But it didn't mean they weren't still there and trying her hardest to do everything by herself more often than not made her completely neglect her anxiety until it was too late. 

That particular personality trait is how she ended up in the situation she was currently in. And boy did it bite her in the butt. She had stepped onto a plane taking her from her little hometown of Davenport, Iowa all the way to National City; successfully surviving the 5 hour plane ride and somehow found her way to National City University despite never having spent a day of her life in this hectic of an environment. She had been fine really, she could navigate really well and surprisingly people were quite helpful. All the chaos of the city and her drive to make it to freshman orientation on time had distracted her from any nerves she had. That being said her mission was complete now, and as emerald green eyes took in the towering brick buildings and large crowds of people, she started to wonder why she had pushed so hard for her parents to let her do this on her own. And was honestly regretting ever having told them not to come, somehow convincing them not to by reassuring her mom over and over again that she would be fine. But this was not fine, this wasn't like figuring out how to ride a bike by herself or being the only kid in preschool who didn't cry when her parents dropped her off for the first time because she was way to excited at the prospect of making friends. This was a life changing moment in time, and she wasn't even in the same state as her parents anymore. Every nerve and anxiety about this journey came flooding into the forefront of her brain like a tidal wave. 

She grabbed her bags and made her way over to lean against a near by tree and slowly sank down. Lauren could feel an anxiety attack approaching, they happened to her more often than she would care to admit and they were always horrible. She usually could avoid them happening in public but it looks like this one is entirely unavoidable. And the sudden realization that she made a terrible mistake not having her parents come with her was one hell of a trigger. She should know by now that her need to be independent and her anxiety have never gone hand in hand. She started analyzing the situation and compiling a list of all the things she had to do today to try and distract herself from the panic she could feel welling. Lauren could feel the tightness in her chest and her heartbeat starting to increase in speed. She tried her hardest to settle her breathing and focus on noises around her. None of these distractions seemed to work because after a few minutes of silent meditation her panic attack was in full swing.

She had no idea how much time had passed but after a while; Lauren felt someone crouch down right next to her. And place a calming hand on her shoulder. She was to far gone to care at the moment so she just looked up to try and identify who it was. When she looked up she managed to make out a red headed woman with half of her head shaved. Lauren furrowed her eyebrows and just squinted at the woman with foggy eyes. 

The woman picked up one of Lauren's hands and held it between hers, "Sweetie, my name is Alex, I'm gonna put your hand on my chest okay? I need you to focus on how I'm breathing and try to match it." 

Lauren nodded her head and tried with all her might to focus on the strangers chest moving up and down. 

The stranger started whispering in a soothing voice, "breath in and then breath out. Slow and steady, that's it, you're doing so well." This montra was her lifeline and she clung to it until Lauren could feel her own breathing starting to even out and her senses starting to come back to her. 

Upon full realization of what just happened Lauren felt embarrassment bubble up in her chest. Not only had she had a panic attack in the middle of her new college campus she probably ruined this strangers day. She scrambled away from the stranger and pushed herself to stand. 

She started running her hands through her silky black locks, frantic eyes seeking the stranger out, "Oh God, I'm so sorry. This is so not how I thought this was going to go today."

The red headed woman stood up and brushed the dirt off of her knees. She put her hands up in a "I come in peace motion" and put on her best reassuring smile. "Hey no harm done, I was just making a coffee run for my Wife and I when I spotted you over here. My sister in-law used to have panic attacks all the time and If yours are half as bad as hers were I didn't want you having to deal with it by yourself."

Lauren blew out a breath and felt better after once again being reminded that she's not the only who has to deal with things like this. "Well thank you for coming to my rescue then. I definitely didn't anticipate having one in the middle of campus my first day but I rarely can control it."

The red head looked at her almost as if she was analyzing the situation at hand. She took a tentative step forward almost as if she thought she would scare her, "It's not a problem at all. I wouldn't want my daughter to have to go through that by herself and you're about her age," she continued on in a poorly contained judgmental tone, "Where exactly are your parents anyway?"

Lauren fidgeted for a while and replied in a sheepish voice, "I kind of live in Iowa and basically spent the entire summer reassuring them that I would be fine coming here. It's not...it's really not their fault I'm super touchy about my anxiety and get offended when people act like I can't do something because of it. And I have a bit of a knack for trying to do everything myself. And well we all know how that turned out this time."

The stranger's let out an exaggerated sigh, "So you basically forced their hand huh?," she shook her head,"well alright then. My wife is getting our daughter settled into her dorm room right now so l'll help you find your way around alright? And you were pretty out of it before so just so you know I'm Alex Arias-Danvers."

Lauren made an attempt to protest but just got cut down by Alex's glare. She huffed, "Okay, I guess I can live with that even though I already feel bad for taking up so much of your time. And I'm Lauren by the way, and since you're willing can you help me check in and find my dorm." 

Alex nodded her head and moved to help Lauren with her luggage.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex ended up being true to her word. She called her wife and updated her on the situation right after they made it to the student union to check Lauren in. Her wife and daughter agreed without hesitation that she should definitely focus on helping Lauren get to where she needed to go considering that campus was chaotic right now even for someone who's familiar with it.

Lauren couldn't help feeling extremely grateful. After her minor freak out she thought she was doomed to start this new adventure on a sour note but having a mom figure take her under her wing has saved the day. Even if she's still virtually a stranger; she's proven to Lauren how nice of a person she is right out of the gate. Her actual mom always did say that actions speak louder than words and right now Mrs. Arias-Danvers was in fact being a protective mama bear to an eighteen year old kid she just met so she feels like she's in decent hands. 

After getting herself checked in Alex helped her get her personal itinerary for the day; it having been specified for her major. Most college campuses wanted to group similarly majored students together so that the young adults could hopefully find peers with common interests sooner and get to know who they were most likely going to be sharing living quarters with. 

Alex and Lauren made their way out of the multi-colored building and headed down the staircase on the right side of the building; making a beeline straight for a tent set up giving out dorm assignments. 

Alex and her were making small talk throughout the experience thus far, mostly Alex informing her about what to expect, so when the older woman asked to see her itinerary she wasn't too surprised and just handed it over. 

The woman whistled and cocked an eyebrow at her, "Well I'll be damned, you're majoring in Art? I'd bet an entire months worth of Noonan's potstickers that you'll be in Baker Hall."

The raveness rolled her eyes a bit and reached out to snatch the piece of paper back, "Yes, if the tattoos and piercings weren't enough of an indication my emotional control should have clued you in," the girl shrugged her shoulders and smirked a bit, "anyway why do you think I'll end up in Baker Hall? And what on earth is a potsticker?"

Alex let out a laugh and led Lauren to stand in the housing line. She spoke up mid-chuckle, "My daughter Ruby is majoring in Media and Design. She got placed in Baker Hall and the two are pretty similar," the woman got serious then and made direct eye contact with Lauren, "and you don't have to keep worrying about what I think of you. I know it was a joke but it was a self-deprecating one at that. If joking is how you deal with it then that's okay but I'm not judging you at all. I already told you my sister in-law used to have panic attacks all the time and she still has pretty bad anxiety. She's one of the strongest people I know."

Lauren felt a blush heat up her face, "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to being weak like that in front of anyone who isn't my parents. I usually can prevent them from happening in public but here we are. And it's hard when that is someone's first impression of you, ya know? I just don't want you to think that's all I am I guess, like a mess... " she cleared her throat and ran her hand through her hair, "so anyways you never answered my question: what's a potsticker?"

Alex reached out a hand and gently patted Lauren on the shoulder. She spoke in a soothing voice, "Trust me I don't. You seem like a very capable young woman. Today is gonna be hard for anyone and you traveled out of state by yourself to get here. It's a whole new environment. I don't think I would have fared any better," the redheaded woman drew her into a side hug, "now as far as the potstickers go...they are sort of a delicacy here in National City or atleast to my family they are. They are sort of like dumplings."

The two continued to chit chat about the famous potstickers until finally they were next in line. Lauren walked up to the tent and gave the student volunteer her College ID. Pretty soon she was receiving confirmation that she was indeed in Baker Hall much to Alex's delight might she add. It was apparently deemed the Liberal arts dorm on campus so the redheaded woman wasn't too far off on her assumption. It looked like someone owed her an entire month's worth of potstickers. 

Alex decided to call her wife to see how things were going with Ruby as they made their way towards Baker Hall. While she did that Lauren decided it would be a good time to update her parents on how the day had gone so far. The last time she had talked to them was earlier this morning when her flight finally touched down in National City. She knew they would be anxious to hear about how everything had gone so far. 

She pulled out her phone and dialed her mom's number. Hoping that the woman had said phone on her. She had a nasty habit of leaving it random places within the house and completely forgetting about it. Lauren was in luck though because her mom answered by the fourth ring. 

An excited voice flowed into her right ear, "Lolo how's everything going? Did you find everything you needed to?," the woman paused and excitedly yelled for her husband, "Mark babe, Lolo's on the phone get in here, I'll put her on speaker." 

Lauren heard the crackling of the phone as it was placed on a speaker and pretty soon the deep baritone voice of her dad breached her ears. "How's my college girl doing? Find everything okay?"

Lauren laughed into the phone, "yeah, I found everything okay. I navigated the city pretty well but once I got to campus I kind of freaked out a little bit." 

Her mom piped up, "Oh no sweetie," Lauren heard a light smacking sound, "I told you we should have gone with her Marcus, Lolo baby are you okay now? Your father and I can be on the next flight out if you're not" 

Before she could reply her father spoke up, "Hey she hasn't even really said anything yet let her talk first and have you met our daughter ? She was going alone one way or another so don't blame me. Peanut please continue before your Mama smacks my ass again." 

"Ew, consider me disturbed, but no you guys don't need to come out. I did have a bit of an episode but someone helped me out. She was out getting coffee for her wife and daughter when she stumbled across me mid panic attack. She helped me through it and has basically been my saving grace since then. She's walking with me to my dorm room now. Her daughter is in the same hall as me," Lauren replied. 

Her mom spoke up first, "Well thank the lord humanity hasn't gone to complete shit. Make sure to thank her for us, she must think we are awful parents."

Lauren chuckled "No Mama she doesn't, I explained to her how I wore you guys down during the summer. She knows it happened like dad said. I'm good now though."

"See we haven't gotten the shitty parents title from strangers. But please do thank her for us, peanut , we owe her one. She helped you sort everything out then?," her dad replied.

"I will and yes, I've got everything taken care of except actually moving in and freshman orientation at five. I can't talk for long though. I just wanted to check in and let you know how it's going. We are getting pretty close to my dorm so I gotta go," Lauren said with a somewhat somber tone. 

The three of them said their goodbyes and I love you's after that. When Lauren hung up the phone she realized Alex must have been off the phone for a while. The woman was up ahead of her a little bit in order to give her some privacy. 

Lauren caught up to her and asked how things were going.

The red headed woman smiled, "Ruby's all moved in. Sam and her are waiting for us on the front steps. Everything okay with you?"

Lauren laughed and brushed her hair out of her eyes, "yeah i was just checking in with my parents. My mom was two seconds away from flying out here but it's all good now." 

Alex drew her into another side hug, "Well that's good. Let's get you moved in so Rubes and you can make orientation, alright?"

The two of them picked up their pace and made their way the rest of the journey.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you guys for all the kudos and comments on this fic. I appreciate them so much and you guys so much. 
> 
> I would also like to say that I am sorry for the delay. My username is no joke. I have been dealing with debilitating chronic pain for the last three years of my short life with no known cause. Thus, sometimes making it hard to write due to my depression or my pain being to bad, so just bear with me please.

Lauren was currently trying to get her dorm room set up with the help of Alex and her family. The red headed woman was helping her set up her laptop and wireless printer. It was pretty simple but it was apparent that campus wifi was extremely slow with so many people trying to get hooked up to it today so it was taking a while to boot up. Alex's wife Sam was on decoration duty which mostly consisted of family photos and band posters. Meanwhile, Lauren and Ruby were sorting through her clothes. She couldn't believe the amount of stuff she was able to bring. It didn't seem like much at the time but now it felt like it was never ending. 

She was also pleasantly surprised to find out that Alex's family was just as lovely as she was. Sam immediately started mother henning her and planning out the landscape of her dorm room as soon as they were introduced. And Ruby was definitely a by product of the two women. She was very outgoing but inherently sweet; not caring in the slightest that she had to help Lauren with her dorm room. The pair actually hit it off quite nicely and were becoming fast friends. 

Lauren was just finishing putting away the last of her jeans she had brought when she remembered to check the time. She glanced down at her phone.

Lauren spoke up, "We have about forty-five minutes until Ruby and I have to go to orientation. Do you think we will be finished in time?"

Sam replied from her spot on top of Lauren's bed, "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. I'm almost done setting up here and then I'll start on your bed."

Her wife put her two cents in from her position across the room, "yep, the four of us should be able to knock this out. The laptops connected to the dorm wifi already so all I've got left is the printer and then we will be in business." 

The green eyed girl couldn't help but express her gratitude, "Thank you guys so much. You all practically saved my life today."

The tiny brunette beside her hummed a little, "Don't even worry about it. I would have been lost today without my mom and mama so I'm happy we could help you out. Plus making a new friend is always a bonus."

"Yeah, you guys are lucky you don't have to go into freshman orientation not knowing anyone. It will be so much easier," Sam said. 

Lauren looked at Ruby curiously, "None of your friends decided to go here?"

Ruby gave a huff, "No, evidently I'm the only one who wanted to stay close to home while going to school."

The four of them continued to work on their tasks for the next twenty minutes or so. Sam had finally finished hanging Laurens posters on the wall and had stuck her photos to the large quark board on the wall facing the door. She soon got to work putting Lauren's grey and white striped bedspread together. Alex had finally gotten her printer and laptop connected. She was busy testing it out at the moment. While Ruby and her only had a couple of shirts left to put away.

Lauren heard Ruby let out a cackle. She looked over to see her holding a giant football jersey.

The tanned skinned woman looked at her, "No offense but you don't seem like the type to be dating a football player. I guess I was wrong; so the next Mrs. Cooper then?"

Lauren made the most horrified face, "Oh my god hell no, I already am a cooper. Like literally that's my dad's football jersey from college. I wear it when I sleep, but thank you for that horrific scenario." 

Ruby was about to reply with a disturbed apology when everyone in the room heard a loud thud. The three women who were on the opposite side of the room snapped their heads up in the direction of the noise. Sam had clearly fallen off the bed. They all rushed towards her to make sure she was okay. 

Alex picked her wife up and sat her on the bed, "Baby, are you okay?"

Ruby was on the woman's otherside fussing as well, "Mom, seriously you're freaking us out. Did you hit your head?"

Lauren however was becoming extremely uncomfortable under the woman's unrelenting gaze. She shifted on her feet a little while the woman seemingly analyzed her entire face.

Sam cleared her throat, "You're Lauren Cooper ?"

Lauren scratched the back of her neck, "uhh yeah I kinda have been since birth, ya know?"

Sam let out a chuckle, "Yeah that's.. I mean yeah that makes sense I guess. God, you're like a grown person." 

The other three women in the room were utterly confused and deeply worried. 

Alex and Ruby exchanged a concerned look, "Babe you are seriously freaking me out right now. Why don't we go to the bathroom and rinse your face off with some cold water?"

The red headed woman led her wife out the door. The whole time Sam kept stealing glances at Lauren. 

Ruby spoke up, "I am so sorry about that. I honestly have no idea what is going on with her or what any of that even means." 

Lauren shook her head, "I don't know either. I'm not gonna lie though it kind of freaked me out. She was like looking into my soul or something."

Ruby replied, "yeah, I don't know man. Moms are so weird sometimes."

The two of them finished putting away Lauren's clothes while making idle chit chat. She could tell Ruby was trying to distract her from whatever just happened with her Mama. They officially finished up when Alex and Sam returned. Looking at the two of them you wouldn't even think the last ten minutes had happened. Sam was composed again and acting like the woman she had first encountered. The four of them talked for a couple minutes. The older redhead and brunette once again clearly trying to brush over the incident that had just taken place. Lauren was willing to go along with it considering how much they had helped her today. 

The four of them continued chit chating until it was time for the two young adults to head to the student union and for the older pair to head home. Mrs. And Mrs. Arias-Danvers gave Ruby a hug and kiss to say their goodbyes soon enough. And Lauren was surprised to find that both women gave her pretty tight parting hugs as well. And soon enough the girls were off to start their new college adventure together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the kudos and comments left last chapter. I'm blown away truly.

Lauren was currently sprawled out on her bed and staring intently at the girl across from her. She was analyzing every detail of her face and was trying to fathom how best to emulate it on paper. 

"Lolo, as much as I'm loving the scrutiny here, I would really like to move from this position soon. Like maybe start drawing?", the tiny brunette said rather sassily. 

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Well if you stopped talking every five minutes I could get something done...God that was rude I'm sorry," the young adult sat up and ran her hand over her face, "Rubs this drawing one class is kicking my ass. I've never been good at realism drawings like yeah I can draw objects and some pretty decent landscape pieces; but portraits are not my forte. I can never get the proportions right."

"Dude that's what the class is for, you're not supposed to know everything yet like you're a month in and you're already trying to do the end of semester project when you don't even have the proper tools to do so yet," Ruby pushed herself up and crawled towards Lauren bringing the emerald eyed beauty in for a hug, "you're gonna get it eventually you just have to give it some time. College isn't like highschool babe, you can't get every assignment done as soon as it's assigned."

Lauren laughed, "Says the girl who's been stressing non-stop about her motion design final project."

Ruby huffed and playfully punched her, "I legit have to create a three minute animated short film like what the heck. Anyways we are talking about you right now not me. Your parents and I have been telling you to chill out for a hot minute so it's decided you are taking a break from class work tonight."

Lauren made a pathetic mulling noise, "Why must you three gang up on me?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "I'm your best friend and they're your parents. Like who else could possibly nag you into better coping mechanisms than us? If you keep whining I'll be sure to tell my parents about it when we see them at dinner tonight and then it will be the five of us."

Lauren looked at her curiously, "I thought you guys were having dinner with your aunts and stuff tonight? Isn't that like a family thing?"

Ruby hummed, "Not really, we have dinner with them every saturday so it won't matter if you go. It's kind of a tradition but a casual one. My parents love you anyway and we basically eat dinner at my house every other night of the week so who cares." 

"I know but whenever you bring up me meeting them; Alex and Sam get all weird. I don't know if I should just show up like that," Lauren said with worry

Ruby let out an annoyed noise, "Yeah, I don't know what's up with that. It's like they're having a stroke everytime I mention it. And I'm sorry for their behavior Lo, I know it hurts your feelings when they do that. I wish I knew what was going on with them but they always just deflect the question. It drives me insane and like I can tell they feel awful whenever I let it slip how much it affects you, ya know?", the browned eyed girl let out a sigh, "I just want you to meet everyone. I know how much they'll love you, especially Addie."

"It's okay, I know how much they care about me. I just find the whole situation odd and honestly rather unpleasant. Like they love me but they don't want me to meet your family? It makes no sense. And I hope so, Addie is the cutest little toddler," Lauren replied. 

"Girl, I know. I want to ring their necks half the time these days. And she really is though. She looks just like my Aunt Kara but acts just like a miniature version of my Aunt Lena. They had a special lab coat made to fit her little body and now she struts around in it ready to solve the world's problems," Ruby replied with fondness in her voice. 

Lauren let out a chuckle, "God, thats fucking adorable. I can't wait to see it in person. And I still can't believe you waited an entire decade to tell me your Aunt is Lena Luthor."

"You're so overdramatic. I waited like two weeks at most and for good reason. You can't just tell someone you just met 'hey my aunts like a billionaire and just won the humanitarian of the year award' like could you imagine just carrying on conversation after that", Ruby replied. 

Lauren shot her an are you serious look, "Okay but that's literally what you did or do you think telling me your aunt rented out an entire amusement park for your thirteenth birthday is a normal conversation?"

Somehow even with Ruby's naturally tan skin Lauren could see a deep blush start to form under her skin. 

Ruby huffed, "And on that note, I will bid you adieu until this evening. I'll stop by around five and then we can head out. You better be ready."

Lauren watched Ruby walk out the door and decided that maybe she would actually try relaxing a bit before going out tonight. Since classes started she hadn't had much time to just freely sketch what she wanted to. Everything had been a project with a grade attached to it in the end for the last month and it was kind of cramping her style. Don't get her wrong she loved finally being able to learn all about art and not having the subject just being thrown in for general education for once. That being said though it could definitely take the fun out of it sometimes. And give her way to much anxiety surrounding something she loves.

She pushed the earlier lack of inspiration that had transpired when faced with the portrait project aside and started to sketch freely just letting her mind happily drift into her artistic 'zone' as her father deemed it early on in her art career. When Lauren would blissfully do paint by numbers or color in disney coloring books with her favorite pack of Princess Jasmine themed crayons. She felt herself drifting into a familiar trance and pretty soon a couple of hours had rushed by. Ruby's knock on the door snapping her out of her current flow. She packed up her stuff a bit and then looked herself over in the mirror trying to make herself look presentable. Once satisfied she picked up her purse and greeted Ruby at the door. The two chit chatted all the way to the parking deck. And soon enough they were driving off in Ruby's car towards Sam and Alex's house. Lauren couldn't help but wonder what exactly the Luthor-Danvers were going to be like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So whos ready for Lauren to meet the Luthor-Danvers next chapter?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys again for all the love last chapter. I am so grateful to everyone. I split this chapter into two parts but I'm not sure when part two will be up. This chapter kind of just poured out of me because I didn't want to focus on my life. Not to sure if my depression will be so productive again though. 
> 
> Also I proof read this by myself (which I often do) so im sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> Anyways you guys are the best so without further ado....

The two young adults were zooming towards Ruby's suburban home while jamming out to some of Lauren's favorite tunes. She was currently giving the performance of her life in the passenger seat, partially to amuse her best friend who was indeed cackling, but mostly because Papa Roach deserved the attention. 

"Girl, I swear you listen to the most Emo stuff. I haven't heard of half of these bands," Ruby said after Lauren's rendition. 

Lauren laughed, "Nah huh, I like all types of genres of music. I just really vibe with the lyrics and tone of alternative rock." 

Ruby smirked, "Now that you mention it that is pretty true, I liked your rendition of A Spoon full of Sugar best I think, like I really felt your connection to Julie Andrews, ya know?"

Lauren smacked her laughing friend on the arm, "Fuck off, that songs a banger and Julie Andrews is iconic."

Ruby rubbed her arm, "Hey, I'm driving here, don't smack me," the brunette turned a little to stick her tongue out at Lauren," and yeah she is the queen of mattress surfing."

Lauren raised her hands up, "Fucking preach, babe."

The two continued to rock out as they made their way to Ruby's childhood home. About ten minutes went by before they were finally pulling up to the Arias-Danvers household. 

Lauren grabbed Ruby's arm stopping her from getting out of the car, "Are you sure this is gonna be okay? I don't want to upset anybody."

Ruby looked at Lauren for a second, completely taking in her best friend's anxious face, she reached her free hand up to squeeze the hand on her arm, "I promise it will be. I'll handle my parents if they start acting like blockheads, alright? My Aunts and Addie are gonna love you. Trust me on that."

Lauren felt reassured by Ruby's words, "Okay, let's go then."

The two got out of Ruby's car and made the familiar trip along the brick sidewalk towards the front porch. Lauren followed Ruby up the wooden stairs and through the front door. She took off her shoes and placed them on the shoe rack right next to the coat hanger. 

They walked past the stairs and into the living room. Once they entered, they came across Alex and Sam, and Lauren's fears were officially confirmed. They were all smiles upon seeing Ruby but once they realized she was here too their faces morphed into something that she could never quite make out. 

Both parents started to sputter a bit until Alex got out, "Ruby, you're here and you brought Lolo."

Ruby settled her parents with a pretty impressive glare, "Yes she is. Is that going to be a problem for you two?" 

Sam started waving her hands around anxiously, "No no, not at all. We just weren't expecting her is all."

Ruby scoffed at that, "Yeah that was kind of on purpose; considering that whenever I bring up Lolo meeting Addie or my Aunts you get weird and end up hurting my best friends feelings." 

Both women looked like the equivalent of a kicked puppy. Alex stood up from the couch followed by her wife and made her way over to the girls.

The red head pulled the two in for a hug and Sam quickly joined in.

Alex spoke up, "That was never our intention, bud. We love Lolo and want her to meet them just as much as you do."

Sam nodded her head, "Exactly, Lo you're always welcome here. I'm sorry, we ever hurt your feelings, truly."

Lauren looked at the two skeptically, "I want to believe that and for the most part I do. It's just you guys are really giving me mixed signals here. One minute I'm part of the family and next there's this weird energy coming from you guys that I don't know what to make of."

Ruby was still glaring at her parents even while hugging them both, "She's right. You keep apologizing but never give her or I an explanation. It's really uncool." 

She continued glaring at them, almost daring them to lie to her or make up an excuse. After, awhile of awkward silence and many looks exchanged between the wives. Sam made a choice to tell a little white lie but one that was plausible. 

"The reason why your Mama and I have been acting weird when you bring up the topic of Lauren meeting everyone is because of your Aunt Lena," Sam took a deep breath and avoided her wife's shocked gaze, "Honey, we love Lolo but you know how many people attack your Aunt for being a Luthor. We have to be cautious." 

Ruby pushed away from the hug completely, looking utterly pissed off, "Lolo isn't like that. She doesn't judge people and would never blame Aunt Lena for what her brother did." 

Lauren could tell the tiny brunette was getting more upset by the minute. She reached towards her friend, gently grabbing her arm.

"Ruby, it's okay…." 

"No it's not, this is horrible. They think you're like one of those assholes that blame Aunt Lena and group her in with the rest of her family," Ruby's glare turned lethal, "I can't believe you guys."

Before any of the Arias-Danvers women could say anything further Lauren put herself between the three of them. She spoke in a calm and clear voice, "Look I'm not going to lie and say my feelings aren't hurt because they are. I thought the both of you knew me well enough to know I would never do that to someone but clearly I was wrong, " Lauren moved towards Ruby who looked like she was about to cut Lauren off again signaling her to be quiet, "That being said I understand. This whole situation is bigger than me and I realize that. And Rubes I need you to really feel that sense of protectiveness you have for me and realize your Mama was doing the same thing. Or did you forget that your Aunt is her best friend too. She was protecting her like you're protecting me right now." 

Ruby just nodded her head and turned away clearly not fully taking in the words. Or perhaps maybe she just didn't care about them right now. 

Alex hopped on board with her wife's explanation, "I'm sorry we screwed this up so bad. We never meant to make you feel out of place at all even though we did. We honestly just didn't know what to do. Lena's been hurt so many times by the public and by those who were supposed to care for her. We are just really protective of her."

Sam jumped in right after, "That didn't give us the right to make assumptions though. Caution is one thing but hurting you was never on our agenda. We know how much of a kind soul you are. I guess, it's just a habit at this point, to protect Lena from outside forces. I hope the both of you can forgive us for being such idiots about it."

Lauren was still a little hurt but understood their actions. She had only known them for a month and honestly she's seen how the world treated Ruby's Aunt. Always praising her when she made a breakthrough in the science field but would then turn around and immediately blame her when something awful happened in the world. 

Lauren let a small smile appear on her face, "I'll get there, I just need some time to process." 

Ruby on the other hand remained silent and decided that she would much rather look at her nails than talk to her mothers. 

Lauren could sense that Alex and Sam wanted to say more but were soon interrupted by baby chatter. 

"Addie and I came to investigate. We heard some yelling?", a nameless woman said. 

Ruby spoke up first, "My parents were just being problematic but now that two out of three of you are here I can introduce you to Lauren. Lolo this is my Aunt Kara," the tiny brunette gestured towards the blonde, "Aunt Kara this is my best friend Lolo."

The blonde looked shocked for a moment but soon seemed to recover, "I'm glad you were finally able to come around. Ruby's been dying for you to meet this little one."

Lauren watched Kara tickle the little girl in her arms, "Yeah, I've been looking forward to it as well. She's just too cute." 

Kara set Addie on the floor and once the toddler realized her big cousin was here she made quick work of walking over to her. Ruby greeted her and picked the toddler up.

"Addie, do you remember me telling you about my friend Lolo?", Ruby whispered to the little girl in her arms. 

The two year old shook her head and sent a small smile Lauren's way. The semi goth woman felt her entire heart melt. 

"Oh my gosh, you're even cuter in person," Lauren tickled the toddler's tummy, " where's your lab coat though? I wanna see the little scientist Ruby told me all about "

The toddler's chest puffed up with pride and she looked delighted at the prospect of showing off her lab coat to someone new.

During this exchange the two young adults failed to see the interactions happening between the older women in the room. Each of them quietly panicking to each other which ultimately lead to Kara and Sam quickly fleeing the scene in search of another emerald eyed beauty. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lena was cutting up an apple for Addie to eat along with her pizza. It always made her feel better when something healthy was thrown into the toddlers meals even if the logic wasn't completely sound. At the very least as her two year old grows older she will learn to always make a part of her meal healthy. Lena knows for certain that if she hadn't made it a rule that the little family were only to eat takeout on Saturdays that her wife would try to eat it every night. After Addie was born Lena was having none of it and wanted to make sure their daughter grew up eating what she was supposed to be and not junk. And they have mostly stuck with it. At least one of them will be home from work early enough during the week to make a reasonably healthy dinner. 

Lena laughed to herself, she couldn't believe she had managed to change her wifes eating habits. That woman survived off takeout before they got married and a short time after. However, she has a strong suspicion that Kara only started eating healthier because of their daughter and not the rule she implemented; but a win is a win so she'll take it. 

She moved the cut up pieces of apple into a nearby bowl and threw the core away in the waste basket under the sink. Lena gathered up the cutting board and knife in order to wash them. She was scrubbing the cutting board with a sponge when she heard two sets of footsteps coming towards the kitchen; looking over her shoulder she saw her best friend and wife approaching. 

She called over her shoulder, "The pizza guy texted Alex's phone, said it should be about thirty minutes. And was that Ruby who pulled up in the drive?"

Sam and Kara stopped behind her. When she didn't receive an immediate reply she stopped washing the dishes, dried her hands, and turned around. As she took in the pensive faces of her wife and best friend she felt a familiar coil start to wind in her stomach. 

She anxiously fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater, "What's going on?."

Sam bit her lip and grabbed her best friend's hand, "Lee, Lauren came along with Ruby today. We couldn't avoid it any longer. I have been absolutely terrible at acting nonchalant whenever Lauren meeting you guys has come up and Alex hasn't been any better since she found out. We have hurt the poor girl's feelings and I never wanted to do that. I had to make up something on the fly about how we were worried about Lauren's reaction to you being a Luthor. Ruby is furious with us and Lauren's feelings are really hurt. I can't keep hurting her but I don't want you to be hurt either. I need to protect you both, please tell me what you need right now." 

Lena felt the coil that had started to form in her stomach completely overtake her body. She could feel her body start to shake and the tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

With a voice full of longing she managed to get out, "I want to meet her, please. I need to." 

Kara and Sam briefly exchanged concerned looks. Kara took her wife's other hand and slowly started rubbing small circles on the back. 

"Baby, I will support you no matter what; but this isn't going to be how it's been the last eighteen years. You won't be keeping tabs on her anonymously and making sure she's doing well from a distance. You will be face to face with her. Are you going to be able to handle that?"

Lena let out a muffled cry, "I don't know. I honestly have no clue how I'll truly react but I won't be the reason why she's hurting. You heard Sam, Kara. Lauren is hurting severely right now and it's partially my fault. I don't want her to ever feel unwelcomed. I just...I know I can walk in there and put on my Luthor mask. I managed to do it when Lillian ripped her away from me all those years ago. I played the part of being the perfect little daughter she wanted me to be," Lena let go of both of their hands and wiped away some of the tears freely falling down her face, "I just don't know how I'm going to be able to deal with playing the part I need to again while simultaneously feeling like I'm dying on the inside because she's my babygirl. And I never even got a chance to be her Mom." 

Kara drew her into a hug and she felt Sam running her fingers through her hair. She let herself relax fully into her wife's embrace. 

"I know, baby. I know. You don't have to do this now we can always work up to it, okay?" Kara whispered into the side of Lena's head. 

Lena choked out a sob, "I could but the truth of the matter is I'm never going to look at her and not think to myself that she could have been ours. And that she shouldn't have to meet us because we should be her parents. I should be her Mom, Kara; but Lillian and Lex took her from me." 

Sam drew herself into the hug already going on, "Lena, this is going to hurt you too much. You've already spent so long reeling from the trauma and missing her. I don't want you to play the part and break yourself beyond repair."

Kara nodded her head in agreement, "I agree with Sam, love. Look what it's doing to you already; what it's been doing to you since you found out that she was not only in National City but how close she is to Ruby. I don't want you to push yourself too hard."

Lena hugged her wife and best friend for all she was worth, "I love you guys so much but I need to know what she's like and be able to see her in the flesh. For years, it's just been little pop ups and now she's right here. I have to take the chance even if she never knows who I am. I would know and that's all that matters."

The two who were securely guarding her in a firm embrace were about to reply when they all heard footsteps making their way from the living room. Sam craned her head in the general direction.

Letting out a sigh she said, "It's just Alex."

The redhead made her way over to the small group huddled in front of the sink. She somehow managed to push her hand through the sea of bodies and put it on Lena's shoulder.

She looked apologetic, "Hey, Kid. How ya holdin up?"

Lena let out a watery chuckle, "Pretty fucked up at the moment not going to lie. How's it going in there?" 

Alex shrugged her shoulders,"Rubys seemed to calm down some and Laurens acting normal but I think that mostly has to do with Addie keeping them occupied, " she scratched the back of her neck with her free hand, "Ruby wants to know when  
Lena's going to head into the living room? She wants Lena to meet Lauren."

Three sets of eyes were staring intently at the little woman huddled between them. 

Lena took a deep breath, "I can do this, okay? I just need a minute." 

"Lena…", Kara said.

Lena cut Kara off before she could finish, "Kara please, I told you what I needed right now. I promise you can coddle me later when I break down but right now I just need to see her and hear her voice." 

Lena saw her wife give a slight nod and the other two people in the room give a nod of acknowledgment as well. As soon as she knew for certain that they understood she made her way towards the downstairs half bath. She shut the door behind her and immediately started to take deep breaths. She gripped the sink firmly and stared directly into the mirror. 

She could do this. She was strong enough. She always had been. The problem was it was going to take a minute for her to fully slip into her Luthor facade. Lena was so used to being herself and not having to hide how she was truly feeling around the ones she loved now that it was going to be tough. Kara, Sam and the rest of the gang had slowly untrained Lena's brain to always be perfectly in control so she was going to have to dig deep for this. 

All she had to do was focus on the positive aspects. She was finally going to see her babygirl again. And more importantly this time she was allowed. It wasn't going to be a quick glance at her just before someone came in to take her away. No this was going to be a full on viewing of the person she had carried for nine months. A grown individual who was raised and shaped by two loving parents. No longer a baby like her little munchkin but a young adult with their own beliefs. In Lena's ideal world she would have been the one to shape the person that she is and provide the love and safety that the Cooper's did. This isn't her ideal world though. This is a world where she only gets to meet someone who's already been raised. Which honestly was more than Lena ever thought she would get; it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up on no matter how much it may hurt her in the end. 

She took one final deep breath and soon enough she felt the sensation of invisible walls being built around her heart. Adding further protection to the spot in Lena's heart that had been covered with Iron bars since she was sixteen years old. She ungripped the sink, wiped her face off, and opened the door.

Kara was waiting right outside for her. She held out her hand for Lena to take and gave her one last questioning gaze. When she firmly nodded her head the two of them started to make their way towards the living room. 

Upon entering the room she gripped Kara's hand so tight it was possible she might have broken it. She saw a sight she had only ever dreamed of. In the corner of the room her little munchkin was sat securely in a striking raven haired young woman's arms; babbling utter nonsense. The young woman looked amused even if she didn't fully understand the toddlers rambles. It was tear jerking how similar she looked to Lena herself: emerald green eyes, jet black hair, and skin so pale even just a few seconds outside in the sun could cause redness. That's where the similarities ended though. She had tasteful tattoos scattered around her arms. And heavens, was that a nose ring? Her babygirl had turned out to be quite a rebel it seemed. 

Her musings were broken by her niece, "There you are, Aunt Lena. You and Aunt Kara took forever. Addie's already best friends with Lolo and you haven't even met her yet." 

Lena let out a bit of a chuckle and squeezed her wife's hand one last time before letting go. She made her way over to the group and could feel all the eyes in the room on her. Upon arrival her little munchkin ran towards her with a screech of Mama; with her favorite little person snuggled up to her she felt a little braver. For the first time she looked up and made direct eye contact with eyes that were the very shade of her own. 

"I'm sorry Rubs, I was on a business call," she stuck out her hand towards the young woman looking at her curiously, "I'm Ruby's Aunt Lena and you must be Lauren. We've heard so much about you."

The girl in front of her blushed a little bit before taking her hand and replying in the sweetest voice Lena has ever heard, "It's nice to finally meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be interactions next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still am completely blown away ya'll. Thank you guys so much for all the kudos and comments. It means so much to me. I've been in alot of pain the last few weeks and on god ya'll really help me out alot. 
> 
> I proofread this chapter by myself like always so I'm sorry for any mistakes

The tone for the evening had shifted so dramatically that it almost gave Lauren whiplash if she was being completely honest. It started out so tense and uncertain; but slowly it morphed into something rather enjoyable. Ruby’s anger towards her parents had simmered down after a while and Lauren’s hurt had become non-existent after meeting the mysterious woman that is Lena Luthor. The truth of the matter is sometimes people can do things for the right reasons and still end up hurting others. In this case Sam and Alex were protecting a family member from further scrutiny because honestly how were they to know what Lauren thought about the Luthor’s? She could have been like so many others in the world who grouped Lena in with her family and were just waiting for her to become the next big bad. That isn”t the case though; truthfully she’s always kind of admired her. The way she rose above all the hatred and continued on with her mission to help others in need. And watching her now, sitting on the floor patiently cutting up her daughter’s pizza into munchkin sized pieces, while her food goes cold. Yeah, Lauren’s pretty sure she would have done the exact same thing if she were in their shoes. 

Lauren is sitting comfortably beside Ruby on one of the leather loveseats in the Arias-Danvers living room. She’s eating her cheese pizza and just quietly continuing to observe how the family interacts with each other. Sam and Alex are cuddling up on the sofa while Kara has taken up the lazyboy right behind where Lena was sitting with Addie. They're all so familiar with each other, cracking jokes left and right as well as openly showing affection with each other. It makes Lauren miss her parents an insane amount. That feeling of intense closeness is something she’s been craving for quite some time. She really needs to skype them when she gets home so she can at least hear their voices.

She must have been zoned out for longer than she thought because her inner monologue was interrupted by an insistent tapping on her shin. She looked down to see a very frustrated toddler who clearly had been trying to get her attention for quite some time. Addie had a bit sized piece of pizza in one hand and a colorful red block in the other. 

The blue eyed toddler was pleading with Lauren, “Pway?”

Lauren's heart was so overwhelmed by the cuteness. She reached out and grabbed a hold of two little wrists: gently shaking them in a playful manner. 

She cooed, “oh little one, I’m so sorry I was in my own little world. Of course I’ll play with you.”

The toddler’s pout turned into a happy smile in a blink of an eye. She immediately toddled over to the pile of blocks sitting right beside Lena. 

She got down on the floor and threw both hands in the air yelling joyfully, “Towa pwease?” 

Kara chimed in from her position on the recliner before Lauren even had time to be confused, “She wants you to help her build a tower with her blocks.”

Lauren laughed, “ahh, Of course I can, unless you want her to finish eating first?.”

“No you’re fine, she likes to hold onto a small portion of food and nibble on it while she moves around. When she’s done with that piece she’ll be back to grab another,” Lena said as she took a bite from her own neglected pizza slice. 

Lauren nodded her head in acknowledgement and put her empty plate of food off to the side. She moved off of the couch and crouched down onto the floor; crawling towards the set of blocks. Once she arrived, Addie immediately started telling Lauren where she would like the blocks placed and Lauren followed her directions pretty closely. Honestly, who was she to disagree with that cute face?

“Seriously though Lo, where was your head at a second ago? Addie must have been trying to get your attention for like an entire minute,” Ruby said. 

Before Lauren could reply Sam jumped in, “Does it have to do with what happened earlier; because Alex and I would really like to sit down with you for a little while after this. Just to explain everything fully and to make sure you know how much we love you.”

Lauren added a few more blocks onto the tower and then turned her head towards the rest of the room. She shook her head, “If you want to do that you can but honestly I understand why you did what you did. I know how much you love me, trust me and at the same time I am very aware of the fact that sometimes protective instincts come out no matter who’s involved. You love Lena too, ya know? She’s your best friend and Alex’s sister in law. And you do anything to protect family even if it’s from someone else you care for. Given the nature of the situation I can honestly say I would have done the same thing.”

Everyone one in the room looked a little misty eyed, excluding the toddler who was happily playing and a grumbling Ruby. Lauren was getting ready to explain further but she stopped when she felt a soft hand wrap around her right wrist. She looked over and came face to face with the woman in question. 

Lena looked at her with an emotion Lauren couldn’t quite grasp but it was definitely powerful, “Even so, I wish you didn’t have to be hurt so deeply because of who I am. I never meant for you to be caught in the crossfire like this.”

Lauren felt like Lena’s words went far beyond the topic at hand. They had too much depth to them but she just brushed it off for now. She rubbed circles on the back of Lena’s wrist, “You have nothing to apologize for this whole situation isn’t because I got caught in the crossfire. It’s because you have time and time again. I’ve seen what happens to you and how the general public reacts to you sometimes. I had my feelings hurt briefly for a month at most. You’ve had them hurt severely your whole life.”

Lena just nodded, she looked as if it was impossible to speak at the moment so Lauren just squeezed her hand a couple times to try and bring her some comfort. 

Ruby got up off the couch and made her way over to help Addie build her tower. When she arrived the toddler was ecstatic to have two of her favorite big people there to help her. Lauren continued to help her with her left hand, never having let go of Lena’s hand with her right. All the commotion that went along with playing with a toddler made the two young adults miss the silent conversation going on between the four older women.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
There were alot of emotions flowing through Lena right now; her heart was absolutely bursting at the seams if she was being honest. She was close to breaking down right there in her best friend's living room; apparently her Luthor mask really had been softened over the years. She never thought she would even get to meet her daughter one day but to have their first interaction go like this had Lena utterly flabbergasted. Her babygirl had turned out to be such an empathetic woman and having that directed towards her for even a minute had Lena reeling. 

Lauren still hadn’t let go of Lena’s hand and she was trying desperately to remain neutral about it. She focused on Kara snuggling up to her from behind. And discretely looked towards her two daughters and niece to make sure they were occupied. All three of them seemed pretty into building her little munchkin the tower of her dreams so she finally made eye contact with Sam and Alex.

Sam mouthed to Lena, "Do you want to leave?"

Lena shook her head and mouthed back, "No, I'll be okay."

Alex seemed to understand that Lena wasn't done yet and that she needed just a little more time talking to Lauren. The next thing she knew Alex was asking a question directed towards the young woman.

The red headed woman spoke up, "Lo, you never did answer Ruby's question. What had you off in Lala land?"

Lena watched Lauren place another block on to the tower and turn her head towards Alex

She puffed out a breath, "Honestly, seeing you guys all together has just really made me miss my family."

Ruby looked at Lauren curiously, "Girl, I don't understand why you just don't tell your parents how much you miss them. Your dad is like loaded, right? They could be on a plane here in no time."

Sam cut in with irritation, "Ruby that's a little forward."

"It's true though," the young brunette shouted. 

Lauren rolled her eyes fondly, "Yeah, Rubes that's kind of the problem. My parents know I miss them obviously but if I have to talk about it in depth I'll start crying. And if I start crying my mom will start crying. And if both of us are crying my dad will be in fix it mode so they'll be here like every weekend. As if my dad doesn't have a business to run and my mom doesn't have thirty fourth graders to lesson plan for."

Lena felt her fill up with so much love for the people who had taken care of Lauren so well. She knew they were good people and knew various bits of information about both Lauren's parents. However, she wanted to continue to hear it first hand and maybe bring Lauren some comfort by having her talk about them. 

Lena squeezed Lauren's hand in order to get the girl to look at her, once she did, Lena spoke up, "What kind of business does your dad run? Is it hard to get away from?"

The young adult turned towards her seemingly thinking about the question, "My grandpa started a heating and cooling business when he was in his early twenties. It suited his family fine and even grew into something pretty impressive. My dad grew up learning all of the ins and outs of that business. And when the time came for my dad to go off to college he decided to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. When he came back home to help my grandpa run Cooper & Son they completely revamped it," midway through her explanation Lauren paused to think for a second. She drew Lena's hand onto her lap and started to fiddle with her fingers, "it's not that it's hard for him to get away from it all. It's just that I know how much he loves his job and like if it were up to my parents I would be going to the community college down the road, ya know? I chose to come out here because it's where I wanna end up eventually and I don't want to disrupt the life that they have in Iowa because I eventually want my life to be out here." 

Kara spoke up from behind her wife, "What do you mean disrupt?" 

Lena grasped the two hands that were currently nervously fiddling with her right hand and decided to ask another question of her own as well. She couldn't leave the hope out of her voice if she tried, "You think you'll still be living out here even when you've graduated?"

Lauren squeezed Lena's hand back and addressed Kara's question first, "I just mean that my parents whole life is in Davenport, ya know? Our whole families out there and the roots that they have planted over the years are all there. I don't want them to give up what they've built to move out here with me because I know they would if I asked," Lauren paused and bit down on her bottom lip, "And yeah, I wanna live in the city. It's a better place to be for the career that I want. You can't really be a successful tattoo artist in Iowa."

Sam chimed in from the couch, "Do you even need a degree to be a tattoo artist though?"

Before Lauren could answer Ruby cut in, "No, Lauren just needs to get an apprenticeship somewhere in National City but her parents persuaded her to get a degree before she tries to get one."

Lauren chuckled, "My mom made the winning argument though claiming I'll be building up my portfolio and becoming a better artist while also getting a degree." 

Lena smiled, "Well I can't say she's entirely wrong there. Are you thinking about trying to get an apprenticeship at NC Ink after you've got your degree?"

Lauren looked positively giddy, "I really hope so to be honest but I would take one in a few different places around here. My end goal is definitely to work there one day though." 

Lena beamed at her and lightly shook their joined hands, "I have no doubt that you will one day. You seem to be quite a hard worker. I hope you'll show me some of your artwork someday."

Lauren's pale cheeks became rosey in an instant, "Of course, I can bring some of my sketchbooks the next time we all hangout."

The six of them continued chatting about Lauren and Ruby's future endeavors for a little bit longer. However, it didn't last very long because Addie decided she had had enough of all this grown up talk. And somehow managed to persuade an entire room of adults to build a village out of her blocks with just a single pout. They spend the rest of the night joking around and throwing blocks at each other. Each of them trying to make the best cubed structure. And as Lena watches her baby girl interact with her family like she's been here all of her life she starts to feel the deepest crack in her heart mend a little.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. Long time no see. I have appreciated the kudos and comments this story has gotten. I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story. Please feel free to leave a comment at the end so I know your thoughts. And thank you for staying with me during my absence. I know it's been awhile. 
> 
> Possible trigger warning: This is only noted here because there is talk about sex and the emotional release that can happen when losing ones virginity. I know some people don't like talking about sex in general let alone the emotions around someone's first time. 
> 
> I hope ya'll enjoy.

It had been quite a few weeks since Lauren had met the rest of Ruby's family. She had since become a regular at the traditional Saturday night family dinners. Which allowed her to fall in love with the little family that was the Luthor-Danvers much in the same way she had with the Arias-Danvers; but she had grown especially close with Lena. 

The older woman was always up for a chat and willing to listen to anything Lauren had to say. And Lauren was still taken by surprise with the amount of softness Lena directed towards her at any given time. She has become quite comforting in ways Lauren never expected so spending her last morning in National City before going back home for thanksgiving break with said woman along with Sam and Ruby was pleasant to say the least.

Lauren sat cuddled up on the leather couch in the Arias-Danvers living room chatting with the other three women.

"I can't wait to be stuffed by this time tomorrow," Sam said with a dreamy voice.

Ruby groaned, "I know, I can't wait for the broccoli casserole and Aunt Lena's peanut butter pie."

Lauren's mouth watered at that, "Does it have chocolate on it."

The green eyed woman across from her smirked, "mhmm, I put a layer on the top and bottom of it. It tastes like a peanut butter cup."

"God, that sounds so good," Lauren said.

"It really is. What does your mom usually make, Lo?" Ruby asked.

"Normal thanksgiving day food I guess. Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean and broccoli casserole etc.. But I am looking forward to her chocolate fudge the most. It's the best dessert I've ever tasted," Lauren said while patting her stomach.

Ruby laughed, "You should definitely bring us back some."

"Oh I would, but there is barely ever any left by the end of the day. Plus I'm not sure how it would fare on the plane. It might melt," Lauren said

"Speaking of which, what time does your plane leave today?" Sam asked.

"Not until one o'clock so we still have a bit of time," Lauren said looking at her watch.

Ruby eyed her best friend, "I'm surprised you didn't want to go earlier so you could see Jason."

Lena raised her eyebrow, "And who is Jason?"

Ruby jumped in with a giggle, "Lolo's ex-boyfriend. They've been texting the past few week but Lauren hasn't decided if she's going to see him or not because Mr. Cooper doesn't like him."

Sam rolled her eyes at her daughter, "Ruby seriously? And Lolo your dads got it out for your first love huh?"

Lauren fiddled with the red throw pillow she was resting on with a sigh she said, “When Ruby and I briefly spoke about Jason before I mentioned that my dad gets pretty irritated when he's brought up. However, I didn’t fully elaborate on why that was or how any of it really came to be.”

Sam eyed her for a second clearly taking in Lauren’s apprehensive face, "Sweetie, this is a safe space. You know that Lena, Ruby and I would never judge you. You can explain the situation and we will listen with open minds. Or we can change the subject entirely.”

“Yeah, Lo. I was only teasing earlier. I’m sorry, if I sparked a remembrance of negative memories,” Ruby said while looking rather guilty.

Lauren shook her head, “No no no, you didn't spark anything, my hesitation of explaining the story further is mostly due to the fact that it involves me losing my virginity. And we all talk about a lot of things but my sex life is not one of them.”

Lauren heard a shift from the recliner beside her. Lena went from a reasonably comfortable position to sitting rather rigidly. She had been quiet up until this point just listening to what Lauren had to say but when she finally spoke up her eyes had turned to steel and her voice was clipped, “Did he pressure you into having sex with him?”

Lauren understood how Lena could have drawn that conclusion. She had been rather vague about the whole situation but at this point Lauren could literally feel the tension radiating off the older woman in waves. And as soon as those words were spoken into the room; she felt them coming off of the other two women in the living room as well. It became truly unbearable, so she needed to clear up the misconception. 

With a steely voice of her own, one that left no room for argument, Lauren said, “No, Jason would never do that. We both talked about it in depth numerous times beforehand and even while it was happening. It was consensual in every way.”

Lauren watched as the tension drained completely from the Arias-Danvers women but was perplexed because most of the tension had drained from Lena but not all of it. 

Her best friend spoke up with furrowed brows, “Was it just the fact that your dad didn’t like the teenage boy who deflowered his daughter then?”

Lauren ran her hand through her hair and sighed, “No, It’s a long story and since we are already on the topic of my sex life, I guess I’ll give it a go,” Lauren adjusted her self on the couch and got into a rather comfy position, “So first and foremost, I just want to say that Jason and I dated for three years. He was and always will be a very loving and safe space for me. And naturally when you’re in highschool and you fall in love with someone you want to express that with them in every way you can, sex included. We had been dating for about a year and half when we actually started talking about taking that step; things had been getting pretty heated between us and it was just abundantly clear it was going to happen sooner rather than later. We wanted to be smart about it for obvious reasons. We talked about it and did research on our own but neither of us actually felt comfortable with the situation; so I opened up a direct line of communication with my mom about the situation.”

Ruby wiggled her eyebrows, “Did Mrs. C swoop in with some sex education?”

Lauren chuckled, “Yes, she did. My mom prepared me as best she could for the physical and emotional responses my body would be going through. She warned me that no matter how well prepared I am physically at the time that it would still hurt a little bit but she mostly wanted me to understand how emotional I was going to be. I tend to feel things with my whole heart and I was truly so in love with him so my mom knew I was gonna be a mess. And god was she right.”

Sam crossed her legs and leaned back into the couch, “That bad?”

Lauren nodded her head, “Yes, that bad. Jason and I ended up taking the next step on the worst possible weekend because my mom was away visiting a friend two towns over but it just kind of happened, ya know? And I knew she had been correct with her assumption in the middle of doing the deed for the first time because I just remember thinking to myself ‘Oh my god’ you’re going to be one of those people who cry during sex.’ And I was right, I was so overwhelmed with what I was feeling, the love, the connection, and the endorphins released were consuming every part of me. I was a mess during and afterwards. Jason did his best to comfort me. We cuddled and talked right up until the very last second. I barely made it home for curfew” Lauren shuffled around a little and eventually decided to sit up on the couch, “and now we are getting into the portion of the story that will explain why Jason’s existence irks my dad. So I made it home in time somehow and I honestly thought I had my shit together. I was cool as a cucumber, or so I thought. I made my way through the garage and finally went into the house; but as soon as I shut the door and heard Jason’s car pullout of the driveway everything that happened that night just hit me. Every emotion I felt had doubled and I just started crying. And that’s when I realized that I was only okay because the person I shared the experience with was right beside me; without him I just felt utterly vulnerable.”

“It really can hit you like a tidal wave though.” Ruby said.

“I know, and that’s exactly how my dad found me. I must have looked like I had been through something awful because normally when I’m crying he just hugs me because he knows most of the time I don’t want to talk about it until later but this time he made me tell him what happened. I can honestly say that is the first time in my entire life that I have ever heard my dad sound panicked. Somehow I managed to tell him what was going on and his paternal need to comfort me took over his ’‘That boy did what with my baby’ mindset. The whole weekend he treated me like a Fabergé egg. He was so soft and loving. He tried his hardest to make me feel better. And when my mom finally came home that weekend and the three of us discussed everyone’s point of view on the matter. I finally learned my dad was not too pleased with Jason. He was extremely irritated by the fact that Jason 'left' me in that state even though I was okay when he dropped me off ,” Lauren said.

"I don't understand why though. I mean he did everything he could at the time. Like you guys had to rush to make your curfew and he comforted you all the way up until that point," Ruby said. 

Before Lauren could confirm that she wholeheartedly agreed with Ruby the smooth clear voice that hadn't made a sound since before Lauren started her story finally spoke up again, "It doesn't matter that he was comforting and loving in the moment or the hours after. He knew the emotional toll the evening and experience took on you. He should have stayed with you and damned the consequences," Lena said with conviction from her perch on the reclining chair. 

Lauren raised her eyebrow, "The consequences would probably have been my dad trying to kick his ass. If he would have been there when I explained what happened it would have been bad."

Lena shook her head clearly irritated on her father's behalf or at least Lauren thinks so…,"that's it though, even if he knew your father would have done something like that he still should have at least walked you to your door," Lena's eyebrows furrowed into a deep scowl and grew more impassioned, "And can you even imagine the fear that ran through your father's heart when he saw you in such a state. He had to live in that fear until you managed to get out what was going on. Jason should have stayed with you, end of story." 

Lauren was confused to say the least. Lena seemed just as agitated as her dad is about the whole situation. And she honestly didn't know how to respond to that considering Lena left no room for an argument. 

Meanwhile over on the loveseat, Sam sensed that Lena was definitely going into some sort of 'my secret daughter's ex-boyfriend needs to pay for this and why the hell is she even having sex to begin with' meltdown so she quickly intervened, "I think what Lena is trying to say is that you were clearly in no state to be left alone that night. And even though you guys made a plan of what to do; he should have made one hundred percent sure that you were okay." 

"Yeah, I would agree with you mom. Except Aunt Lena looks like she wants to sucker punch someone right now. " Ruby said while eyeing her aunt suspiciously. 

Lena seemed to remember herself in that moment, "I'm sorry for reacting so strongly, Lauren. I just don't like the thought of you being that upset." 

Sam said playfully, "Lena's got a mean protective streak." 

Lauren smiled softly, "It's no problem my dad was way worse to be honest. And the more people to protect me from the world the better," Lauren glanced down at her phone and realized she needed to go home to pack, "and it's about time Ruby takes me back to my dorm anyways."

Lauren got up off the couch as did the other three women. She noticed Lena hovering around her with a slightly apprehensive facial expression. Before Lauren could ask her about it the older woman was crossing the room and pulling her into a tight hug. 

While squeezing Lauren extra tight Lena whispered softly, "I will always protect you, Lauren" Lena drew back with a soft smile, "Now, I want you to text me when you get to the airport and to text me when you land, alright? I want to know that you're safe."

Lauren pulled the older woman into another hug and kissed her on the cheek, "I will keep you updated, no need to worry.”

Lauren said her final goodbyes to both of the older women. After that, Ruby and her finally made the trip to their dorm room to pack for Lauren’s trip home in a few hours.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the girls left, Lena knew she was in for a rather intrusive shake down and she was in no way prepared for that level of emotion right now. Already having gone through so many emotions in such a little amount of time; so she grabbed herself a bottle of wine from the wine rack in the kitchen and poured herself a glass. 

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be drinking that?”, Sam said with a concerned glance.

Lena quirked, her eyebrow, “I would rather have alcohol in my system before we discuss what just happened and what I’m feeling.”

Sam looked at her for a few minutes, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but I really think you need to let it out.”

Lena took a sip of her wine and shook her head, “This whole thing is just a mess and I am reacting to things I have no business reacting to.”

“And who says you don’t have a right to react or feel things a certain way when it comes to someone you love?”, Sam asked

Lena could feel tears pricking her eyes, “I’m not her mother Sam. As much as I want to be and as much as I should have been, I’m not. And I have no business acting like an overprotective parent in front of her when the only thing I ever did was grow her in my belly for nine months.”

Sam shook her head and pulled Lena into a hug, “That’s not true and you know it. You had no choice in the matter. What you went through and what they did to you makes me sick to my stomach every time I think about it. Your mother and Lex snatched away your child as soon as you’d given birth without a care in the world. They sent her off to god knows where at the time and expected you to act like you hadn’t just gone through the most traumatic event in your life. You have always loved her, Lena. And you would have been the most amazing mom but you never got the chance. Truthfully, I am so proud of you for handling it as well as you are.”

Lena sobbed into Sam’s shoulder, “That’s just it though. I’m not handling it well. Loving her from a distance and knowing she’s safe is one thing’ but god having her right next to me is starting to blur the lines I’ve drawn in my head. I knew it was going to affect me and I will never regret forming a relationship with her, ever. But here I am thinking about the baby I gave birth to eighteen years ago and wondering how this can be the same woman that just told us how she lost her virginity. It’s like my rational brain can’t comprehend that Lauren is a grown adult. Every time I look at her I just see the brief glimpse of a green eyed baby girl I once knew before Lex ripped her from the doctor's arms. I just can’t believe she’s doing adult things like that and everything is just getting harder.”

Sam squeezed her back tightly, “I know sweetie, this whole situation is just so fucked up and filled with so many lies. I mean have you ever thought about telling her the truth. And I mean the whole truth Lena. The nasty and the ugly coming to light may bring you guys closer.”

Lena laughed bitterly, “Or she could think I’m just as bad as them for lying this long and having everyone else besides Ruby lie to her as well.’

Sam pulled back and brought Lena’s face between her hands, "You never asked for the rest of us to lie for you.”

Lena sniffled, “Yes, but you lied to her to protect me, Which makes it just as bad. I just hate this. For the first time since she came into this world I feel close to her but it’s not in the way that I want. I’m just Ruby’s Aunt that she’s close with but I don’t think I could ever tell her the truth even if she forgives us for lying. I will have to tell her what happened in depth and I just can’t. I don't know what to do Sam.”

Sam held Lena even tighter, "I don't know either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Lauren spends thanksgiving with her parents and the big reveal.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. I hope you guys had a lovely holiday season. 
> 
> Lauren spends some with the Cooper gang. And it is a lovely mix of angst and fluff. Poor Lolo is finding out somes truths but has a great support system
> 
> All mistakes are my own and I am sorry for any grammar mistakes.

Sleepy green eyes blinked opened and directed their gaze toward the clock sitting on the marble bedside table. Lauren groaned, it was only eight thirty but she could already smell the Turkey; her mom must have put it in the oven around six this morning to get that kind of aroma going. She stretched out her limbs and moved to sit up. Her body was still sluggish from having just woken up but her stomach demanded that she move toward the kitchen at once. 

Lauren stepped out of her childhood bedroom and walked the familiar path toward the stairs. She glided down the pine staircase and cut through the living room in order to make it to the kitchen as fast as possible. She was greeted with the sight of her dad sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and eating what looked to be an egg scramble. And her mom being a busy bee, prepping the dishes for the holiday meal later that afternoon.

Her dad looked up at her from behind the paper, “Morning, Peanut.”

Lauren made her way towards her father and kissed him on the forehead followed by a brief, “Morning, Daddy,” and then made her way towards her mom exchanging similar greetings. 

Her mom raised an eyebrow while mixing chocolate in a glass bowl, “I should know by now; that if I’m cooking, you and your father will soon trickle in demanding food. Your breakfast is in the fridge.”

Lauren tutted out her lip,”Mama, it’s your fault for being such a good cook.”

“It’s true, hun. We can’t get enough of your cooking,” her dad said while patting his stomach. 

Her mom’s only reply was a rather pleased looking smile.

Lauren grabbed her plate from the fridge, feeling that it was still semi-warm, she opted to head straight for the table instead of putting it in the microwave. 

“God, I really did miss you guys and mama’s cooking so much. The mess hall is actually pretty good on campus and so is the Danvers gang’s cooking but nothing beats this,” Lauren said while shoving a forkful of egg scramble into her mouth.

“Well your mama and I miss you just as much, darling. If not more, it’s just too quiet in this big ol’ house with just your mama and I in it,” her dad said from his spot at the head of the table. 

“It’s true, The house honestly feels so empty most of the time with just us here. I’m thinking your father and I are going to start visiting you a couple times per month. That way we get out of the house with the much added benefit of seeing you. I just hope you want us there,” her mom said with a raised eyebrow. 

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows, “Mama, why on earth wouldn’t I want you guys to come visit me? I miss you guys like crazy and skype calls really aren’t cutting it these days.”

“Truthfully, sweetie you were in one heck of a rush to get out of here in August; it truly seemed like you couldn't get away from us fast enough,” her mom said sorrowfully.

Her dad put down his paper, “Alice..”

“Don’t you ‘Alice’ me, Marcus. This is the first time we've actually been able to talk about this. And you're the one who let our baby go halfway across the country without us,” Alice said with an accusatory tone

Lauren cut them both off, “Hey, wait a minute I thought that you agreed with the decision I had made. I chose to go by myself because I needed to know I could do it. Not because I wanted to get away from you two. You guys are my favorite people in the whole world and honestly I have been a wreck without you. I just didn’t say anything on our bi-weekly skype calls because I know you guys would've dropped everything here to come see me. And as much as I would love for you two to visit me all the time; you both have so many responsibilities here that can't be pushed aside.”

“I did not agree to anything, Lauren Elizabeth. What I did was support your decision like any good mother would do. It is every parents right to drop their child off at college especially when said child will be halfway across the country for most of the year and your father and I were deprived of that. It just hurts is all. I understand who you are as a person. I know, you like to go on adventures by yourself. I mean I raised you for gosh sakes but then you told us about your panic attack and Mrs. Arias-Danvers helping you out. And I don’t know, I just felt like an idiot because I should have been there,” Alice said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Lauren felt guilt settle into her stomach, “And you’ve been holding onto this for the past two months and just acted like everything is normal?,” Lauren looked at her dad, “Do you feel this way too?”

Marcus sighed, “Look peanut, I will never fault you for wanting to go off and start your own story and neither will your mother. We are so proud of you and the life that you have started making for yourself. However, you pushed all summer for us to let you go off to orientation by yourself which honestly would have been hard enough if you had gone to the community college down the street but you went somewhere far away without us. I don’t agree with the thought that you were trying to get away from us but I do feel like we were kind of brushed aside a bit.”

Lauren shook her head and couldn’t stop the tears from falling, “God, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to do to make this better. I wish I could take back my decision so you guys wouldn’t get hurt but I can’t do that. I’m sorry, I deprived you guys of a huge parental milestone. This town, this house and you two are my home. My heart has been absolutely weeping for the both of you since I left so please don’t think that I would ever want to get away from you both."

Alice and Marcus both moved from the spaces they had been occupying and immediately moved to embrace their daughter.

“Oh, Lolo I didn't mean to come at you with my 'guns a blazin' this early in the morning. This was the first time I really had the chance to voice my own hurt feelings on the matter and I'm sorry it made you cry, sweetie. I truly don't think that you were trying to run away from us, I've just had way too much time to sit on this and I let my hurt feelings get the better of me,” Alice said while rubbing Lauren’s back. 

Lauren sniffled, “You promise?”

“Yes, Love. I promise. The other things your father and I said are very real and valid feelings for us though,” Alice said after kissing a black head of hair.

Marcus patted Lauren’s should, “Mhmm, from now on everything will be out in the open, okay? You tell us what you need and we will tell you what we need. And from now on, you let your mama and I worry about our responsibilities here. You are and always will be our main priority. Got it?”

Lauren nodded her head, “Got it. Can we cuddle for a little longer, I missed hugging the both of you."

Marcus hugged his wife and daughter tight, “That is definitely something we can do, peanut.”

“And your father and I will start looking for apartments in National City,” Alice said.

Lauren nodded her head again, “Okay, that sounds good. That way you guys can come and stay for the whole weekend.”

“Yes we will, which is something that your father and I will be looking forward to. Now after our family group hug and trauma sharing session is over what do you think about helping me finish the fudge?” Alice asked.

Marcus huffed, “Hey, you told me I wasn’t allowed to help but she can?”

Lauren chuckled into her mama’s neck, “Daddy, you always eat the batter before it even has time to set, so don’t act all innocent. And yes, mama I would really like that. What time is grandma and grandpa coming over?”

“Well aren’t you just a little comedian,’ Marcus said while ruffling Lauren’s hair, “And your grandparents are coming over around one o’ clock to eat with us and then we are going to go down to Uncle Donnie’s house to eat with grandma Judy and grandpa Mike around five, kiddo.”

“Okay, sounds good to me. I love you guys so much,” Lauren said.

Marcus and Alice both kissed their daughter on the head, “We love you too, Lolo.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of Thanksgiving Day went off without a hitch. Lauren never had a doubt in her mind that it wouldn’t go smoothly. She was mostly just worried about eating two entire Thanksgiving meals with the insistence of both grandma’s and her mother. However, this year she made it through both meals without feeling like her stomach was going to burst open. Normally halfway through the second meal she's had enough food but this year she was completely ravenous. She actually thinks she may have taken the mantle away from her dad ‘of who ate the most fudge in one sitting’ this year. And if anyone asks, it's because she missed her mama’s and Uncle’s cooking, it in no way is because of ‘ the freshman 15’, she may have put on. Thus, allowing her to eat more this year. Like sometimes she eats chipotle three days in a row but who cares when she’s got four art projects to finish and chipotle makes perfectly adequate burritos for a college student in a rush. Needless to say her stomach has stretched a little, it was worth it though for the content feeling swirling around in her tummy from all the good food. 

She’s pretty sure her parents are in a similar state of “food hazes” if the silence of the car is any indication. Everyone is in a happy lull. Lauren can honestly say she has never been so grateful to see the familiar gravel driveway leading up to her parents log cabin though because all she wants is a nap. 

Stepping out of the car with a grunt she makes her way through the front door and towards the living room. She plops face first onto the cream colored sofa and feels herself falling into the food coma she’s been teetering on since her last piece of apple pie. She burrows into the couch and puts throw pillows on her body for warmth, too lazy to get a blanket and drifts off to sleep. 

A little while later, she wakes up to the sounds of pots and pans banging around. Groaning, she cracks open her eyes and sees her parents puttering around the kitchen, appearing to be cleaning up from their earlier meal. 

Making her way over to them she groggily mumbled, "How long was I out ?"

Marcus glanced over at her while cleaning the kitchen counters, "Only about an hour or so, peanut. And trust me, if your mama and I didn't have to clean this up we would have done the same."

Alice hummed in agreement, "I swear, Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that is so amazing in the moment but drains you by the end of it." 

Lauren chuckled a bit, "Isn't that the truth. Are you guys gonna be up for watching Charlie Brown later though?"

Alice nodded, "Yes, love. Just let us finish cleaning up the kitchen and relax for a bit. And maybe around seven we can watch it." 

Lauren smiled and did a little happy dance. She was about ready to go back in the living room when her dad stopped her.

"Before I forget Lena called you a little while ago, she wanted to wish you Happy Thanksgiving. I told her you were passed out on the couch and that you would give her a buzz when you woke up," Marcus said encouragely. 

"She seems like a really sweet woman. Always seems to be thinking of you," Alice said approvingly. 

Lauren hummed, "I'll call her. And she is honestly, Mama. Over the past few months we've really gotten close."

"I'm glad you've got her to look out for you, peanut, but I find that whole situation with Ruby's parents and that woman to be rather odd," Marcus said.

Lauren looked at her dad curiously, "What do you mean?"

"That whole situation in the beginning where they wouldn't let you meet her. What on earth did she need protection from?", Marcus shook his head. 

Lauren sighed, "You have no idea who she is do you?"

Alice cut in, "Isn't she Ruby's aunt?"

Lauren rolled her eyes exasperated, "Yes, but she's also Lena Luthor. You know the woman whose brother and mother turned out to be terrorists. They wanted to make sure I wasn't on the anti-Luthor bandwagon."

When Lauren finally took in her parents forms after releasing that information she became worried in an instant. Her dad had gone stiff and stopped cleaning the counters. And her mom was vigorously washing the same plate over and over. 

"Please tell me, you guys aren't on the anti-Luthor band wagon. I mean she's still the same 'really sweet woman' she was a minute ago," Lauren said anxiously. 

Alice finally set the plate down, dried her hands and came face to face with her daughter, "My love, we are in no way judging that woman based on her family's past grievances. However, your father and I are quite shocked because we know Lena Luthor in a more personal way than you could ever realize."

Lauren felt a strange energy radiating between her parents and it was making her stomach churn. 

Marcus finally looked at her, "Peanut, I want you to know that your mama and I had no idea the Lena you spoke of was in fact Lena Luthor. If we would have known exactly who she was from the get go we would have told you this information straight away."

Lauren felt the anxiety rising within her, "Can you guys please tell me whatever the hell is going on? You are freaking me out big time here." 

Marcus grabbed his wife's hand and motioned for all of them to sit down at the kitchen table. Once everyone was seated there was anxious energy radiating from every inch of the room.

Marcus finally spoke a few minutes later, "Peanut, your mama and I are going to give you the whole story, alright? But you have to promise to listen to it. After that you can react in any way that you would like too."

Lauren nodded her head in agreement, "I promise I'll hear you out. Just please get on with it."

Alice cleared her throat, "As you know, your daddy and I could not conceive children naturally. You know all about our fertility troubles and what led us to eventually looking into adoption and how we finally got to have you in our lives. Your adoption was special in a sense because it was a closed adoption which I know you are aware of but I just wanted to re-establish that for the first seven years of your life we operated with that in mind. We had absolutely no idea who gave you to us, just that you were ours, love."

Taking over for his wife Marcus chimed in, "but around seven years old is when that changed a bit. You had started excelling in school and you hadn't realized how much you hated everything but art yet. You were in the local newspaper constantly from then on and it's a small town, so you know, everyone looks out for one another around here. Which is why Mr. Taylor came over to tell your mama and I when someone had requested a paper that you were on the cover to be sent to National City."

Alice nodded her head, "We were concerned and we didn't know what to do. And we didn't know if we were possibly overreacting. We called your Uncle Donnie and asked him his thoughts on the matter. And like us he was concerned that it was your biological parents trying to seek you out. He called up some of his buddies on the National City Police Force and they all started investigating on the down low. But it became too hard, the alias that was used led to nowhere and any information always led to a dead end. A normal run of the mill police officer like your uncle and his buddies couldn't catch a break. Whoever this person was, was too good at covering their tracks." 

Marcus reached across the table and grabbed the hands of the women he loved having noticed the tears building up in their eyes, "One of Uncle Donnies friends had a buddy who was a technical analyst for the FBI and he took a look at it. He was able to crack at it slowly over the next couple months using the email address that was used for the request. I don't know how he did it or the terminology for it but he eventually was able to get through all of their blockcades. And he was able to pin point a definite location. It came back to an apartment building in National City listed under a Lena Keirnan Luthor."

Lauren sucked in a shaky breath and couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, "You think Lena's my birth mother?"

Alice took Laurens other hand, "We don't think we know. And I'm not going to lie to you initially when we found out we were terrified. Lex and Lillian were being tried for their crimes and no one really knew at the time if Lena had anything to do with what transpired, so the FBI agent kept digging into her. We all thought we were building a case against her for going against the closed adoption agreement she made with the adoption adency. But by the end of it your daddy and I couldn't go through with it."

Completely baffled and in a state shock Lauren gasped out, "Why?"

Marcus squeezed her hand, "Peanut, that man went all the way back to when she would have been pregnant with you and we found out some things that broke our hearts. When she was pregnant with you she was just a teenager and the Luthors had staged some retreat for her to go on for a whole year that would hide her pregnancy from the public. It's why no one knew. And genuinely Lolo the reason why we didn't go through with the case is because we knew in our hearts that she was going to keep you based on the information revealed to us."

Alice sniffled, "Sweetie, she had ordered a crib, rocking chair, toys, and so many books on parenting catered around young parents. She ordered everything a new baby and a brand new parent would need. And then one day all of the orders just stopped but nothing was ever sent back. It truly seemed like someone or something had taken the idea and prospect of you away from her both physically and mentally. We decided to drop the case based on that and a few other things. And after that we never had another situation like that. We think it was a moment of weakness for her. However, we never truly got the whole story. Your father and I could just feel it in our gut that you weren't in danger."

Lauren nodded and felt some of the anxiety within herself release, "Why didn't you guys tell me this when you found out about her?"

Marcus shook his head, "Lolo, you were too young at the time and we didn't want to confuse you. And after that your mama and I vowed that if you ever asked about your birth parents we would tell you, but you never did."

Lauren cried, "Because I was happy and still am. You guys are the most amazing parents and have given me everything I could ever need. I never had any disire to know. However, now I know who she is. I love her and care for her so much. I can't go back and pretend like everything is normal. I now know why she looks at me the way she does and why she acts the way she does around me. I mean god, no wonder why Sam and Alex didn't want me to meet her. Lena having to meet the daughter she gave birth to at sixteen is traumatic as fuck."

Alice squeezed Her hand, "Sweetie, I think just from the stories that you've told me about the two of you that she is thrilled to have you near. Not traumatized. And no, you shouldn't have to go back and pretend like everything is normal. You should tell her that you know and start to form a genuine bond with her if she wants to. One that doesn't revolve around lies."

Lauren shook her head, "I really don't think I can handle talking about this anymore. Let alone what I'm supposed to say to her when I see her again."

Marcus sighed, "I know, and we will do our best to help you through this."

Lauren muffled another cry, "Can we just snuggle on the couch and watch Charlie Brown please?."

"Of course we can, Sweetie.", Alice said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next we have a phone call between Lauren and Lena. And some more 'fluffy' time spent with the Coopers.


End file.
